Winter's Grasp II

Jim,
Very nice image. The frost crystals, from what I can see on my ipad, are visually intriguing. I'm wondering if a less centered crop would  make for a more dynamic presentation.

I like this one even more than WG 1, Jim. Even with the compression, it is possible to discern the fine, snowflake-like frost crystals. Like little stars. This would make a beautiful print. 

Gorgeous Jim!  I think with the new large details view, the details in the frost/crystals comes through pretty strikingly - a boon for images like yours  (and to those who upload larger versions...)  

This is simply fantabulous (made up word.)  the color combo and intricate details are just amazing.  And now we get a closer look at the background.  I don't recall if you've revealed this yet, but this looks like very fine corral sand? Or is it the harder surface of sandstone?  It doesn't really matter, this is outstanding.

So I'll bring this up.  At the end of the stem, the sand/stone bg is darker. My edumecated guess is that it indicates a melt. Either the touching of the end of the stem to the surface is melting, or causing a warming around it, thus melting the bg, which means it has to have had a frosted component to it, so more likely frosted sand, than sandstone? Just an observation.

Lon

Thanks for the comments.  Lon, I did post a follow-up comment to my previous photograph.  But I'll do the same here.  The surface that the leaf is resting on in both photographs is just damp sand, not corral sand, but quartz sand eroded from Navajo Sandstone which is the predominant sandstone in the Zion Canyon region.  The texture of the damp sand in these photographs I believe is simply the result of rain storms a day or two before the photographs were taken, although I've often seen this texture persist long after the sand has dried out.  As for the dark spot in the sand at the end of the stem in this photograph, I believe that your assertion is correct that there was some frost at the end of the stem which had recently melted leaving the sand underneath slightly more damp than elsewhere.

Now this is a cool leaf, Jim.  Looks like it was bedazzled with tiny rhinestones.  My only suggestion would be a bit more space around it.

This is gorgeous. Love the frosty crystals on the leaf.

Wow, this one is really nice, I like it quite a bit more than the previous one. Everything seems to work great in this one, and the detail in those crystals looks very interesting, even in the compressed large version.

Jim, This is Fantastic!!! Everything in this is just amazing to look at. Perfect comp, wonderful subject, colors, textures and details. Excellent work on this!  I bet this would make a really interesting print.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Cool color and detail. Like Gary, I could use a little more space around it.Certainly not an image killer though.